History Rewritten
by tiredbutnotdone
Summary: After a second war is barely averted, Erdas still struggles to survive. The Evertree is the source of all life, and she has decided Erdas can't continue to survive the way it has been. Changes need to be made. Too many times have the Protectors of Erdas stood back and watched as war wreaked havoc upon Erdas's surface. What better way than to hear the stories of the past?


**I know that this has been done so many times, but I just could not help myself. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think because this is the first real fanfiction I'm writing! The italicized excerpts are from The Tales of the Great Beasts by Brandon Mull. I do not own spirit animals. reading the books/changing the future.  
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 _Trimming her wings, Essix plunged toward the meadow, the exhilarating speed focusing her thoughts. Until now, as a whole, the Great Beasts had chosen neutrality in the worldwide war. They had not met in a Grand Council since the early_ days, _when_ Kovo _and_ Gerathon _appeared less directly involved and the Devourer was just beginning to reveal his unquenchable lust for world domination. This would be the last chance to gain meaningful assistance against the Conquerors. It would be no small task to steer this headstrong group toward war._

 _Essix alighted on a fallen log an instant before the sun reached its_  
 _zenith — the appointed starting time. Her claws gripped the decaying wood much as a lesser falcon would cling to a branch._

 _"Cutting it close, are we not?"_ Cabaro _remarked, stretching his golden form and extending his claws. As a physical specimen, none of the Great Beasts could quite match the lion. If he were not so arrogant and disinterested, he might have been their leader. None could rival him in battle. But he seldom roused himself to action, content instead to pursue a life of lordly leisure. Why hunt when he could feast on the spoils of the lionesses? Why fight when intimidation sufficed?_

 _"I did not want to leave the battle," Essix said. "The free nations are hardpressed. The fate of Erdas may well be determined before the sun sets."_

 _"Does this mean we will be hurried?" said the enormous Dinesh, who looked more like a wrinkly gray hill than an elephant. "I did not cross the Deep to dash through a hasty conversation."_

 _"The day you dash is the day I fly," laughed Suka. Sitting casually, huge paws in her lap, the polar bear looked to be in a playful mood. When she wasn't, all of Erdas needed to beware._

 _Essix resisted a laugh. Briggan, Rumfuss, and Uraza showed less restraint. Draped in silks, shaded by an embroidered canopy, the elephant looked like the exact opposite of haste._

 _"I came farther than anyone," Suka continued, "but a quick council suits me just fine."_

 _"Fools mock," Dinesh said in a voice like the first tremors of an_  
 _earthquake. "A Grand Council is no minor occasion. A certain dignity must be maintained."_

 _A movement off to one side caught Essix's eye. She swiveled to see that a kangaroo had wandered into the clearing. All of the Great Beasts turned to regard the accidental visitor. The unfortunate kangaroo watched with paralyzed anxiety from the edge of the meadow. The poor creature knew it had made a fatal mistake. Essix could sense its heart rate accelerating._

 _The relative size of the kangaroo emphasized the enormity of the Great Beasts. Though fully grown and not a small specimen, the kangaroo would barely serve as a morsel for_ Cabaro _. Only an excellent jump would allow it to brush against Tellun's belly._ Next _to the colossal bulk of Dinesh, the marsupial seemed no bigger than a chipmunk._

 _Tellun raised his head high, the tips of his magnificent antlers overtopping even Dinesh. "Let us begin," the elk announced. The Great Beasts lost interest in the kangaroo and came to attention. A hush fell upon all of nature. Even the nearby brook seemed to run quieter. Essix looked up at their leader, trying not to succumb to a sense of awe. Of all the Great Beasts, Tellun was the hardest to read._

 _"Not all . . . have come," Rumfuss complained._

 _"This is the appointed time and place," Tellun stated. "All were invited. Mulop declined to attend in person._ Kovo _and_ Gerathon _gave no reply."_

 _From the corner of her eye, Essix saw the kangaroo scamper away, taking advantage of the small mercy._ Hopefully _the animal would learn greater care from the experience._

 _"They're busy taking over the world," Briggan growled. "The battle is raging. Why are we here trading words while the fate –"_

Conor woke in a cold sweat, jolting forward. His head pounded with a horrible headache and his heart raced as if he had run a long race. For a second, he couldn't remember where he was and panicked, before realizing that he was back at home with his family. Briggan, who had been curled near him, asleep, woke up at his sudden jolt and whined, nudging him gently.

"I'm okay," he assured the wolf, reaching over to scratch the wolf between the ears. "Just another dream."

Conor was no stranger to weird dreams. Being bonded to Briggan did mean that he sometimes had oddly prophetic dreams. On top of that, after being infected with The Wyrm's parasite and forced into mindless submission, whenever he dreamed, he would wake up with horrible nightmares of his time in Sadre flooding his mind.

Conor absentmindedly reached up to touch the thin, spiral shaped scar that traced the center of his forehead. A reminder of the hardships he and Briggan had been forced to endure. Unlike most times however, his forehead was not throbbing as it usually did.

"This dream was different," he whispered to Briggan, who stared at him expectantly. "Somehow this time, it just felt different, you know?" The only response he received was a bark, although Briggan did meet his gaze with a knowing look. In all honesty, he was just glad that last night's dream had differed from the usual nightmares.

"Conor?" a woman's voice called out. "Is everything alright?" It was his mother, sounding concerned.

"Everything's great!" he called back. In the months since the Wyrm's vicious attack on Erdas, things were slowly beginning to creep back the way that they were. The Wyrm had left many scars, both mental and physical, and the healing was slow. Many Greencloaks had been enslaved by Zerif, and Conor had needed time away from it all, so he, along with Briggan, had journeyed back to Trunswick to rest.

As for the others, he wasn't fully sure exactly where they were at the moment. Meilin and Rollan, last he'd heard, were travelling together towards Jano Rion, Meilin's birthplace. Abeke, he knew, had finally reunited with Uraza in Stetriol, and had since planned to travel to visit Kirat and Cabaro.

His family had been wonderful but didn't quite understand everything he had been through. When Briggan was summoned, things escalated quickly, leaving his family unsure as to how to treat him. Ever supportive, they quickly welcomed him home with open arms, even if it was a little awkward. He had gone from sheepherder to Conor, bond of Briggan, and one of the Four Heroes of Erdas. It was bound to underwhelming for anyone really. After all, they were still sheepherders, unable to even communicate by letter because they couldn't read.

"Conor. We need you to get up and help," his mother called again, reminding him of the day's work that still needed to be done. He snapped out of his thoughts, turning to Briggan, with a smile.

"Ready for some fun?"

The days continued to pass without any interruption and Conor had almost forgotten about the dream when he received another one, this time in the form of a vision or daydream, while he was leaning against a tree, lazily watching the sheep.

 _"Let humans . . . fight humans," Rumfuss said gruffly. The boar looked disgruntled. Essix had seldom seen him cheerful._

 _"This war involves more than humans fighting humans," Jhi said in velvety tones. "_ Kovo _and_ Gerathon _openly back the Devourer."_

 _"The outcome will be determined today," Briggan said. "If the Greencloaks fall, the Devourer will take over the world. It was already too late to test our full strength against theirs. We mustered our best troops and bypassed the majority of the Conqueror armies to bring the fight to their homeland. The gambit is all or nothing."_

 _"Why not wait to see if the assault works?" Dinesh asked._

 _"Because without our help, the Greencloaks will fall," Briggan snarled. "And without their help, we can't stop the Devourer."_

 _"Nonsense," Arax protested. "If we decided to eliminate them, the thirteen of us could wipe out the ape, the serpent, and their human pet at our leisure."_

 _"You do not appreciate their numbers," Jhi said calmly. "Their armies are fanatically devoted. Thanks to the Bile, every human soldier has a spirit animal bound to comply with any order. We are indeed powerful, but as a_ whole _their might is greater. Envision a vast colony of ants bringing down an ox. This would be our fate."_

 _"If we act now, we can end this threat," Essix said. "We'll never have to test whether we can defeat the Devourer on our own."_

 _To_ Conor _it seemed that the Great Beasts were still arguing in the same meeting as the first. By now he had begun to understand the fight. They were wondering whether to help with a war or to sit by. But not just any war. The first Devourer War._

 _"And yet I remain unmoved," Cabaro said flatly. "The same four who urged for war in the last meeting are repeating themselves. Your involvement in human affairs has led to a devastating battle that you will probably lose. Now you want us to rescue you. You wish for your folly to overrule our prudence."_

 _Many of them could not seem to see what the problem was. Conor didn't understand how they could just stand by while the world fell to pieces in front of them! Weren't they Erdas's protectors? Could they not see the problem? Or did they just not care?_

 _The council was quiet after this. Essix brought her sharp eyes to meet_ Cabaro's _own, and despite his callous words, the lion was the first to drop his gaze. Something else was at work behind his protest, though she couldn't make out what._

 _"One Great Beast should not attack another," Dinesh declared. "Such a fight is unthinkable. It has no precedent."_

 _Muscles bunching, tail swaying, Uraza responded in a poisonous tone. "You want to discuss breaking precedent? Great Beasts have never let humans decorate them with silks. Nor have they helped design shrines to themselves. Dinesh, I'm more interested in the opinions of Great Beasts who can find their own food."_

Their voices faded away and Conor awoke to find himself staring at Briggan, who again, was looking at him expectantly as if expecting him to have an answer. Conor began to wonder before suddenly it hit him:

"Those weren't just ordinary dreams, were they?" He asked. "They were visions. Memories. And not just any memories. Those were your memories." Briggan steadily held Conor's gaze. "But why show me these?" _I don't understand!_

Briggan barked once, loudly, and many of the sheep started.

"Oh no, not so loud!" Conor cried, exasperated, before going to calm them. Once calmed, Conor returned to Briggan's side. The wolf had quickly caught on that the sheep did not appreciate his company despite him never trying to eat them.

Briggan still appeared to be trying to tell him something, though for once, Conor couldn't tell what it was. That unnerved him. Before he could ask about it, a violent tremor shook the earth around him. He collapsed, waiting for it to end, which it did after a couple of seconds vanishing as quickly as it came.

Looking around, none of the sheep seemed to be affected nor were trees knocked down as he thought they should be. Something wasn't right. Tremors like that should have causes a lot of damage, but nothing seemed to have happened.

In fact, only three others, and their spirit animals, had felt the deep quakes of earth. Separated by continents, they all felt it.

And the tremors continued, a low ticking noise now accompanying them. A bright flash of light, and then all was still. Nothing noticeable had changed, except for the absence of four young children.

In Nilo, the Evertree's roots, deep within the ground, quivered and shook. Something was brewing within the tree, something powerful was about to happen. A low hum spread throughout the earth, quiet but strong. And time stood still.

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 **Please rate and review! Criticism is welcome.**


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